Share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea: Share of births outside marriage was 2.95 in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
2.95
Change on year
up 17.1%
World rank
40th
of 42 countries
All-time high
2.95
in 2021
All-time low
0.8
in 1988
Years of data
41
1981–2021

Share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea, 1981–2021

11.522.531981200120211981: 1.11982: 1.11983: 1.11984: 11985: 11986: 11987: 11988: 0.81989: 0.81990: 11991: 11992: 1.11993: 1.21994: 1.31995: 1.21996: 0.91997: 11998: 11999: 1.12000: 1.22001: 1.32002: 1.42003: 1.62004: 1.62005: 1.82006: 1.82007: 1.82008: 1.82009: 22010: 2.12011: 2.12012: 2.12013: 2.12014: 1.92015: 1.92016: 1.92017: 1.92018: 2.22019: 2.32020: 2.52021: 3

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2021, share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea stood at 2.95. That is the highest value across all 41 years on record.

That represents a change of up 17.1% on the previous year and up 39.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea peaked at 2.95 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.8, in 1988.

That places Republic of Korea 40th out of 42 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.

Share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea, 1981 to 2021.
Year Value Change
1981 1.1
1982 1.1 +0.0%
1983 1.1 +0.0%
1984 1 -9.1%
1985 1 +0.0%
1986 1 +0.0%
1987 1 +0.0%
1988 0.8 -20.0%
1989 0.8 +0.0%
1990 1 +25.0%
1991 1 +0.0%
1992 1.1 +10.0%
1993 1.2 +9.1%
1994 1.3 +8.3%
1995 1.2 -7.7%
1996 0.9 -25.0%
1997 1 +11.1%
1998 1 +0.0%
1999 1.1 +10.0%
2000 1.2 +9.1%
2001 1.28 +6.3%
2002 1.41 +10.6%
2003 1.59 +13.0%
2004 1.63 +2.4%
2005 1.8 +10.3%
2006 1.78 -1.3%
2007 1.79 +0.9%
2008 1.8 +0.6%
2009 1.96 +8.6%
2010 2.06 +5.1%
2011 2.12 +2.9%
2012 2.1 -0.9%
2013 2.14 +2.1%
2014 1.95 -9.2%
2015 1.86 -4.4%
2016 1.92 +3.0%
2017 1.94 +1.4%
2018 2.19 +12.9%
2019 2.31 +5.1%
2020 2.52 +9.3%
2021 2.95 +17.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.9889 0.8 1.1 9
1990s 1.08 0.9 1.3 10
2000s 1.62 1.2 1.96 10
2010s 2.06 1.86 2.31 10
2020s 2.74 2.52 2.95 2

Countries ranked near Republic of Korea

  1. 37 Cyprus 21.2 compare
  2. 38 Greece 13.8 compare
  3. 39 Israel 8.11 compare
  4. 41 Türkiye 2.8 compare
  5. 42 Japan 2.4 compare

See the full ranking of 42 places →

More population data for Republic of Korea

All data for Republic of Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea?
Share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea was 2.95 in 2021, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of births outside marriage recorded in Republic of Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.95 in 2021.
What is the lowest share of births outside marriage recorded in Republic of Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.8 in 1988.
How does Republic of Korea rank for share of births outside marriage?
Republic of Korea ranks 40th out of 42 countries with data for 2021.
Is share of births outside marriage rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of births outside marriage. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of births outside marriage in Republic of Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-births-outside-marriage/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of births outside marriage
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
42 places, 2,139 data points, 1960–2021
Last refreshed